My Country Too
by Sand-Jounin-Temari
Summary: TemaShika.. With everything that has happened between the two villages, war is past the horizon... What will happen when Temari and Shikamaru are forced to face each other? Rated T for suggestiveness and violence.


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Hey people!! This is just another one shot that popped into my head this morning while I was in school... Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my classes are sooo boring!! Anywho, there may be a little OOC in there but that can't be helped due to the little plot.. So anyway, please read and review.. They mean alot.. This story is dedicated to XxXAnimeFreakXxX, my best friend.. She has recently started uploading a story and needs a little motivation... If anyone could have a quick look at her story, it would be greatly appreciated... Its called Friends Or Meh? (hehehe)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any associated characters... Unfortunately**

_italics are the past_

As the shadows of the setting sun crept up along the bare trees, the wind howled, terror and torment in its very sound. Two shinobi stood facing each other; small, weak smiles graced their faces as the blood began to gently trickle down their sides.

Both were wounded, not fatally, but wounded none the less. Though their surroundings were filled with screams of agony and pain, they both only heard the chirping of the forest crickets they had once become so accustomed to listening to.

The sheer brutality of the war around them could not penetrate their line of thought. This was it... It was nearly over. Suna and Konoha were almost out of fighters, both having watched their friends fall and die around them... And even so, they could not help but smile.

Temari, one of Suna's last survivors stood, her fan hanging loosely in her hand as another kunoichi fell by her feet. Shikamaru, one of Konoha's last survivors, stood with his hands in his pockets as another shinobi fell a few metres away.

His jutsu was a success. He stared ahead at the woman before him, short blonde hair that had been removed from the usual four ponytails and all. Her teal eyes shined as the smile she wore broke through the grief she was certainly feeling at this very moment.

Her hip was slightly cocked to the side, reminding him of the previous week, where they had spent the day, strolling around the forest... and the way she screamed his name when they made love.. The honest and fulfilling laugh... And he knew he would never hear it again.

He knew that he would miss the smile she wore when they were alone, hiding it from the rest of the world, only revealing it to him because it was special. The blood that was spilling from her leg didn't seem to bother her as she looked calm, keeping up the usual demeanour in spite of herself. "Is this was happens when you get too close?" she asked, voice in barely a whisper; so much different from her usual loud and bossy nature.

He nodded, not wanting to say much. He knew that they would face each other someday, and what better place than the battle field, fighting for their countries.

_One bright and breezy morning as she lay in his arms she spoke to him._

_"You know that I love you don't you?" she asked, seriousness on her tanned face. When he merely nodded she continued. "But you do know that I love my country too?"_

He remembered meeting her gaze that time. She was basically telling him that if war ever waged, she would fight against him, no matter how much she loved him... and he understood... It was the same for him and Konoha.

The places where they were taught and raised would always mean more to them, and nothing could change that. He was recalled back to reality as more screams were heard in the surrounding area.

It seemed that fighters were moving, travelling through the forest in the hopes of finding more survivors. As she took her fighting stance, she opened her fan, revealing three of the circles that had been painted on before. She let out a swing, not at her full power, but powerful none the less.

He stood his ground, not removing his hands from his pockets as she advanced... but then came to an abrupt halt about a foot away from him. "FIGHT BACK!!" she screamed, the anger burning in her eyes forming water droplets. The fury was pure evident on her shiny glazed face.

When he didn't make a sound, she swung once more, and through the roars of the wind, he could still hear her; "FIGHT BACK DAMMIT!!" When the wind subsided, she was kneeling on the ground, angry tears running down her face as she hit the earth with a clenched fist.

"PLEASE FIGHT BACK!!" she begged, fury still carved on her face as she pleaded. "I need a reason to kill you" she sobbed. He merely strolled over and bent down next to her. Her fan laid discarded a few metres away... She looked like she couldn't go on anymore.

"Please...please!" she whispered loudly. He knew that he would meet her in battle, but that didn't mean he would fight her. When the time came, he understood that he would have to.... He just didn't think that he would be able to.

There was a fine line between should and could.

As the battle continued around them, Temari's sniffles subsided as she coughed out angry tearless sighs. She was furious with herself. How could she show so much emotion at in the middle of war?

Good Kunoichi were not meant to show sentiment at a time like this. He pulled her towards him and let her head lie on his shoulder as he used one hand to rub up and down her back in a comforting manner, trying to tell her everything would be alright without words.

But would it??

Would everything be alright? They had both entered the battle field with full intentions of dying today... So shouldn't everything be okay?? Damn emotions, always getting in the way of what needed to be done.

With the deaths of the Kazekage and Hokage, war was evident to even the dimmest person. Commoners even foresaw the attack. It seemed that time stopped for no man."Sshhh" he whispered soothingly, trying to make her feel better. It was funny that in these desperate times, he was still trying to help her, even though they were classed as enemies.

As the cries subsided, so did the bangs and explosions. The forest held no life except for the two shinobi that lay huddled in the mass of dead bodies. When dawn began to shape around them, they stood up, glanced at one another one last time and turned to leave, back to their home, their true love.

_"You know that I love you don't you?" she once asked, seriousness on her tanned face. When he merely nodded she continued. "But you do know that I love my country too?"_

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**Ok that is sooooo different from any of my other work!! I usually never write anything tragedy!! I love happy endings!! XD  
Oh well, please let me know what you think in a review... The make me feel fuzzy inside XD**


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